The cards were sold directly by Stardom, here are the basics:

Card Set: Stardom Collection Card 2019
Cards per Pack: 10
Number of Cards in Set: 234
Cost per Pack:  Sold at $50 for five packs, plus shipping
Where to Purchase: Out of Stock

To make my life easier this year in case Stardom releases more card sets (as hopefully they will), here are some staples that are true of all Stardom releases:

• On card autographs. As an autograph card collector, its important to me that the autographs aren’t on stickers. Sometimes stickers are necessary but the cards look so much nicer without them so it is worth noting. Since Stardom makes their cards in-house, the wrestlers are always available so no sticker autographs are used, not even for multi-signed cards.
• Card pictures and variety. Stardom never disappoints when it comes to card variety. Wrestlers will have multiple cards, however the cards will vary from in-ring action shots, casual shots, promo shots, sexy shots, and whatever else they can think of. They also include cards for the titles (generally showcasing the champions at the time the set was made).
• Can only purchase in bundles. The cheapest way to buy Stardom cards internationally is in a bundle of five packs for $50, so if you want to check out the cards the lowest amount you will pay is $65 with shipping (and possibly higher depending on your country’s shipping and customs fees).

Here is what was different or special about this release:

• Obscene autograph ratio per pack. I opened 50 packs and in those packs I got over 160 autograph cards. Usually with Stardom releases the average number of autographs per pack is one (although not guaranteed), so having a ratio over 3:1 is much higher than we’ve seen before and was not expected. From talking to others that received packs this appeared to be the average across the board, however it should be noted there was still no method to the madness as some packs may have ten autographs while others could have none. Still, for the price of the packs it is one hell of a value, even if I am sure the wrestlers had sore wrists from signing their name so many times.
• Great variety of cards with multiple autographs. Again, Stardom outdid themselves with this set with the multi-signed cards. There were a total of eight multi-signature cards with one card signed by five wrestlers, three triple autograph cards, and four dual autograph cards. This covered all the major factions in Stardom so no one was left out.
• “The Sexy” cards. This is both a pro and a con. As a shop owner, I can confirm that the cards labeled “The Sexy” sold very well and were popular, as Stardom understands their fan base. The cards feature the wrestlers in an attire similar to what they wear in Stardom photo books, usually a bikini or some type of lingerie. While on the surface there is nothing wrong with that, the “con” is that they also had “The Sexy” cards for the underage wrestlers, including AZM, Starlight Kid, and Hanan. Its a bit awkward pulling a card of a 14 year old wearing a bikini with “The Sexy” on the back. I have no issue with the concept with wrestlers 18+, but it would have been better to just exclude the children from that particular card variety for a number of obvious reasons.
• Notable Gaijin offering. Stardom always tries to get the latest Gaijin (foreign) wrestlers on tour to participate in their latest card offerings, and this set was no different. Wrestlers such as Jamie Hayter and Session Moth Martina had their first autographs included in this set, along with returning wrestlers Bea Priestley and others. For the base cards, they cheated a bit and have wrestlers that had not toured recently with the company such as Toni Storm and Kay Lee Ray included as well. All told, a pretty decent variety of new Gaijins.
• Utami Hayashishita debut. Utami is setting the Joshi world on fire, and this set is the first time she has been featured in a card set. She had over ten cards total, including three autograph cards (a single, a mask fiesta autograph, and a dual autograph with Momo Watanabe). Any hardcore Utami fan would be very pleased with her representation in her first set.

Below I have scanned examples of what the cards look like. The first picture shows the base cards, the second picture the standard autographs, the third picture the Mask Fiesta autographs, and the final picture an example of some of the multi-signed cards.

Finally, I have translated the card list for those looking to complete their collections or see which wrestlers are available in this set:

Red = Regular Autograph
Blue = Mask Fiesta Autograph
Green = Glitter Card
Orange = Dropkick on My Devil Glitter Card

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The packs are sold in sets of five by Stardom directly, here are the basics:

Card Set: Kagetsu 10th Anniversary Memorial Collection Card
Cards per Pack: 10
Number of Cards in Set: 54
Cost per Pack:  Sold at $50 for five packs, plus shipping
Where to Purchase: At live Stardom events or their Stardom International Store

I purchased 35 packs so I have a pretty good feeling of what this set has to offer, lets go over some of the Pros and Cons.

Pros:

• 10 cards per pack. This is the standard that Stardom has had for awhile but it still is worth noting as its a decent number of cards for one pack.
• Card pictures and variety. For a set that only features one wrestler, you’d think that the cards would get old, but they did a really good job here of having different types of base cards. The pictures on the cards range from early in her career, to her look outside the ring, to in-ring action, and also features pictures with her current faction Oedo Tai. Any fan of Kagetsu would be satisfied with the cards as presented.
• On card autographs. As an autograph card collector, its important to me that the autographs aren’t on stickers. Sometimes stickers are necessary but the cards look so much nicer without them so it is worth noting.

Cons:

• Low autograph odds. While Stardom cards have never ‘guaranteed’ a hit (meaning an autograph, kiss card, etc.) per pack, you still could expect that at least 75% of all packs would have one anyway in their previous sets. That is definitely not the case here, as out of the 35 packs purchased, only 9 had an autograph card (so roughly 25%). That is far lower than any set produced by the promotion up to this point. It is also done completely randomly, so some people buying five packs may get four autographs, and someone else may get zero. Its one of the risks you take when buying cards from Stardom, but its more risky with this set than we have seen in the past.
• Can only purchase in bundles. The cheapest way to buy Stardom cards internationally is in a bundle of five packs for $50, so if you want to check out the cards the lowest amount you will pay is $65 with shipping. For someone that isn’t a serious card collector, that is a lot of money, especially for only five packs. It wasn’t an issue for me, but for casual fans it may be a little tougher to pull the trigger for that minimum cost.
• Only two autograph cards, no other special cards. Most Stardom sets have a variety of “hits” but this set is much more sparse. There are no dual autographs or triple autographs, which is unusual since Kagetsu is the leader of her own group that could have signed cards. There are also no kiss cards, memorabilia cards, etc. either. While I can not say with 100% certainty that there are no cheki cards since they aren’t numbered, I did not get one in the 35 packs I opened and have not seen any online. For such a large set, it is disappointing that only two different autograph cards were offered.
• Difficult to complete a set of cards. Even though the set only has 54 cards, since the cards are put into packs randomly, it is still hard to get a complete set if that is your goal. Of the 35 packs I purchased, I was only able to make two complete sets. If you want to get all the cards you will likely need to buy at least 20 packs to start, and then hope for a bit of luck too.

Overall, this set was designed for mega fans of Kagetsu, and it shows in the presentation. The cards themselves are quality, with bright professional pictures taken from different time periods in Kagetsu’s career (with a strong focus of her antics within the last year). But the “extras” that you’d expect from the major Stardom card releases aren’t there, with a low autograph pull rate and a general lack of special cards. While this set is a must for Kagetsu fans if you are a card collector, the average Stardom fan can just wait a few months for their main set as it will have a lot more to offer. Below I have scans of all the cards in the set, you can click on the images to make them larger.

The post Kagetsu 10th Anniversary Memorial Collection Card Review appeared first on Joshi City.

The packs are sold in sets of five by Stardom directly, here are the basics:

Card Set: Stardom Collection Card 2017 Series II
Cards per Pack: 10
Number of Cards in Set: 126
Cost per Pack:  Sold at $50 for five packs, plus shipping
Where to Purchase: At live Stardom events or their Stardom International Store

Since last time I didn’t get as many packs as I wanted before they sold out, this year I got 25 packs. This set is similar to the one released earlier this year, let’s take a quick look.

Pros:

• 10 cards per pack. A new standard from them but still worth mentioning, much better chance at getting some wrestlers you like with such a high number of cards available.
• 24 different autograph cards. This is up from 22 earlier this year, as each set has had slightly more autographs than the one before.
• Gaijin base cards. While I will cover another aspect of this under “cons,” the set still did a great job of having a wide variety of gaijin wrestlers. Wrestlers with cards in the set include Kay Lee Ray, Nixon Newell, Viper, Taya, Rebel, Gabby Ortiz, Chelsea, Chelsea Green, Tessa Blanchard, and many more.
• More dual autographs. Nothing is more fun than pulling a signed card with multiple autographs on it. In this set, there are three dual autograph cards available: Oedo Tai, Team Jungle, and Queen’s Quest. Its just a nice little bonus and gives the set a bit of variety.
• Higher autograph frequency. Stardom still doesn’t guarantee an autograph per pack, but with more autograph cards it does increase the chances of getting one. In the 23 packs I opened, I got 29 autograph cards. I got two packs with no autographs, but one pack had three autographs and multiple packs had two autographs. So in any set of five packs, the chances of getting at least five autographs is very high.
• On card autographs. Only serious collectors will probably care about this, but the autographs are on-card and not stickers. Which is much more aesthetically pleasing.

Cons:

• Can only purchase in bundles. The cheapest way to buy Stardom cards internationally is in a bundle of five packs for $50, so if you want to check out the cards the lowest amount you will pay is $65 with shipping. For someone that isn’t a serious card collector, that is a lot of money, especially for only five packs. It wasn’t an issue for me, but for casual wrestling fans it may be a little tougher to pull the trigger for that minimum cost.
• Still no guaranteed hit. Even though my autograph ratio was awesome, it would still be nice if they just put one autograph in each pack. $12 a pack is just a fair amount to only get base cards, even if they are rather nice base cards.
• Far less gaijin autographs. The first set of 2017 had a fair number of gaijin autograph cards, but this one only has a couple (of the 23 packs I opened, I only got one gaijin signed card). This is likely because they used less gaijin in June when the cards were made, so not as many gaijin wrestlers were available to sign them. Probably not a big deal to those in Japan, but for me it would have been nice to have more outside talent with signed cards in the set.

Card Set List (click to expand):

Autograph Card Examples:

Base Card Examples:

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The packs are sold in sets of five, so I opened five packs today to get a good sample of what the cards offer this year. First, the basics:

Card Set: Stardom Collection Card 2017
Cards per Pack: 10
Number of Cards in Set: 108
Cost per Pack:  Sold at $50 for five packs, discounts for more packs purchased
Where to Purchase: No longer available

I am what I would consider a major card collector, I spend thousands of dollars a year on sports cards as it is my main hobby. Besides watching Joshi of course. So are the cards worth buying? Let’s take a look, a lot of my opinions are the same as their last set but a few minor things have changed.

Pros:

• 10 cards per pack. A repeat from last year but still worth mentioning. Most ‘modern’ packs of cards average around five cards per pack, so ten cards per pack is at least a decent value for your money. There may not be an autograph, but at least you’ll get a variety of wrestlers.
• 22 different autograph cards. This is up from 15 last year, so they really raised the number of autographs. Naturally the stars are here, but the rookies signed autographs as well, as everyone is represented with the help of the higher count available.
• Only way to get Stardom wrestler cards. As I mentioned above, Stardom does not participate in BBM True Heart so this is the only way to get current Stardom wrestlers in card form, including their autographs.
• Gaijin and Freelancer base cards and autographs. Last year, Stardom focused more on contracted wrestlers for the autographs but this year there is more outsiders represented. Shayna Baszler, Konami, and Toni Storm all have autographs, giving the cards an extra level of interest for International fans. Even outside of the autograph cards, a lot of Gaijin were included in the base cards, including Tessa Blanchard, Taya, Santana Garrett, Leah Vaughan, and many more. For many of the wrestlers it is their first wrestling card, making them a fun collector’s item for fans.
• Higher autograph frequency. Stardom still doesn’t guarantee an autograph per pack, but with more autograph cards it does increase the chances of getting one. In the five packs I opened, I got six autographs, and while I can’t say that is normal is it a far better ratio than I got last year. With less base cards and more autograph cards, it makes sense that autographs will appear more frequently and from my limited sample that is the case.
• On card autographs. Only serious collectors will probably care about this, but the autographs are on-card and not stickers. Which is much more aesthetically pleasing.

Cons:

• Can only purchase in bundles. I understand it from a business perspective, but the cheapest way to buy the Stardom cards is in a bundle of five packs for $50. The cheapest shipping option is $15, so if you want to check out the cards the lowest amount you will pay is $65. For someone that isn’t a serious card collector, that is a lot of money, especially for only five packs. It wasn’t an issue for me since I’ll buy a box of football cards for $200 that only has two packs, but for casual wrestling fans it may be a little tougher to pull the trigger for that minimum cost.
• Still no guaranteed hit. Even though my autograph ratio was awesome, it would still be nice if they just put one autograph in each pack. They package the packs themselves, they sign the cards right there, so it wouldn’t be an extra hassle to make sure each pack had an autograph. And maybe they did this year, I don’t know, but they haven’t said if that is the case. $13 a pack is just a fair amount to only get base cards, even if they are rather nice base cards.
• Lots of duplicates. Since you are forced to buy five packs, you will get a lot of duplicates as there are only 86 base cards and its completely random which base cards you will get. In the five packs I opened, there were several cards I got three of, and many more I got two of. Its not a big deal, but when you are looking at paying $13 a pack if you get five, it is a shame that so many of the cards will be duplications.

Card Set List:

Autograph Card Examples: 

Base Card Examples: 

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I opened two packs of cards so I could get a good sampling of what the set has to offer. First, the basics.

Card Set: Stardom Collection Card “5th Anniversary Special”
Cards per Pack: 10
Number of Cards in Set: 144
Cost per Pack:  ¥1000
Where to Purchase: Stardom Website

The easiest way to review a set such as this is to weigh the pros and cons. I am a major card collector, both wrestling and American sports, so I know what I look for in card sets to figure out if they are worth purchasing.

Pros:

• 10 cards per pack. This is an extremely high number of cards to have in one pack, as other packs of wrestling cards range from 3 to 7 cards per pack. With so many cards, the chances are pretty good that you’ll pull a wrestler that you like, especially since the bigger wrestlers have multiple cards available.
• High quality card stock. These cards are not made cheaply and are higher quality than the BBM wrestling cards. They don’t bend easy and are very well made.
• 15 different autograph cards. While I do not know the odds of pulling an autograph (more on that below), for a 144 card set the number of autograph cards is high. This ensures every major wrestler in Stardom has an autograph, so if someone is determined enough they can get a very complete set.
• Only way to get Stardom wrestler cards. Since Stardom does not participate in BBM True Heart, this is the only way to get current Stardom wrestlers in card form, including their autographs. That makes the set much more essential for fans of Stardom.

Cons:

• High cost (including importing). I am combining this into one “con” since they are related. Purchasing a pack of these cards is very expensive as currently they are not sold anywhere in the United States. Depending on the buying agent used and the number purchased, buying just one pack of Stardom Collection Card costs between $12 and $15 after shipping. That is really high for a pack of cards without a guaranteed hit, which leads me directly to my next point (EDIT: Stardom now ships Internationally, see the updated link above)
• No guaranteed hit. A “hit” in the card collecting world is an autograph card or memorabilia card, something more special than the normal base card. In past Stardom Collection Card sets, every pack had an autograph card, but not this year as I opened two packs without getting an autograph. After spending up to $15 for a pack of cards, getting 10 base cards can be a bit disappointing. It would make it easier to determine the true value if we knew the odds of pulling an autograph, but…
• No listed odds of autograph cards in packs.  What percentage of packs have a signed card? How many autograph cards were made? These are questions we don’t know the answer to which makes it harder to estimate the value. If on average every other pack has an autograph, that would make the packs a decent value. If one in ten packs has an autograph, that would hurt the value. Without that knowledge one has to assume the worst, giving some type of odds is a staple of card sets so its disappointing that nothing is stated.

Card Set List:

Card Examples: 

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